71 
Pacha of Egypt. It forms a bright rich green bushy plant, 
with long thin rough-haired opposite lanceolate’ leaves, 
which are auricled and amplexicaul, and in their axils it 
bears whorls of gay blue labiate flowers. If care is taken 
to reduce the vigour of leaves, by not giving the plant too 
much shade and moisture, it becomes very handsome ; but if 
it is permitted to “ run to leaf” too much, its beauty is con- 
siderably impaired. 
Two circumstances connected with this Asteracantha de- 
serve particular notice. The whorls of leaves are in sixes, 
two of the leaves being larger than the other four. The 
largest leaves are the ordinary leaves of the stem, and each 
forms at its axil a short cluster of flowers; below which two 
other leaves, smaller than the first, make their appearance at 
right angles with the latter, so that there are three leaves, 
two small and one large, on each side of the stem. 
But the stem leaves attempt in the first instance to pro- 
duce an ordinary branch from their axils; in this however 
they do not succeed : the branch is abortive, and remains in 
the form of a spine ; the secondary leaves also attempt each 
for itself to produce axillary branches, with a like want of 
success, and a similar result, spines being produced instead ; 
and hence each whorl of flowers is surrounded by six 
spines, forming a star: whence the name of Asteracantha 
(acrnp, a star, axavOa, a spine) has been contrived. 
118. CIRRHOPETALUM nutans ; pseudobulbis ovato-subrotundis rugosis, 
foliis ovato-subrotundis emarginatis coriaceis humi pronis, scapo erecto 
elongato, umbellá multiflora nutante, bracteis linearibus acuminatis, sepalis 
glaberrimis: supremo acuminato lateralibus linearibus ligulatis vix acutis, 
petalis ovatis acutis serrulatis, labello obtuso convexo bicristato, columne 
angulis obsoleté bidentatis. 
A pretty little epiphyte, sent to Messrs. Loddiges from 
Manilla by Mr. Cumming. It has a nodding umbel of pale 
straw-coloured flowers, at the end of a weak scape about six 
inches high. The leaves are from an inch and half to two 
inches long,-very thick, emarginate, and lying almost flat 
upon the ground. The species is very near C. Wallichii, a 
Nepalese plant, the specific character of which in the Genera 
and Species of Orchidaceous plants is erroneous, in conse- 
quence of bad specimens and an Indian drawing having been 
misunderstood. It is necessary to correct the definition of 
that species as follows. 
